Community Development

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers a 36 credit hour Master of Science (M.S.) or Master of Arts (M.A.) in Community Development and a 12 credit hour graduate certificate in Community Development. The degree is a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary, online program in conjunction with the Interactive Distance Education Alliance (IDEA). Other institutions participating in this program include Kansas State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and South Dakota State University.

The primary audience for this program is community economic development officials, community leaders, specialists already employed in the field and for those committed .

Program Objectives

The objectives of the Community Development graduate degree program are to:

• Increase the skills, knowledge, and competencies of community economic development officials who are currently employed and have limited opportunity to participate in an on-campus degree program.
• Provide graduate training for individuals entering the community economic development career field who require training/degrees for career advancement.
• Enhance the community economic development skills, knowledge, and competencies of individuals working with Native American communities, natural resource-based communities, non-profit organizations, and/or state and local government.

Certificate Requirements

Master's Degree Requirements

Masters students will write a master's thesis (Plan A), complete a comprehensive study (Plan B), or pursue a culminating experience (Plan C). The student's schedule of courses must be approved by the faculty advisor.